Ryan Gosling once took a break from the more serious movies he’s known for to star in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. But while developing the character, he used a popular reality TV star as a reference point.
Ryan Gosling once joked he did ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ after his doctor’s advice
2011’s Crazy Stupid Love saw Gosling teaming up with Steve Carrell and Emma Stone for his first rom-com. The movie followed Gosling’s smooth and sophisticated character befriending Carrell’s, who’s heartbroken after losing his wife.
Before the film, Gosling mostly featured in darker, more dramatic features. The movie he did before Crazy, Stupid, Love was no exception. Gosling’s Blue Valentine focused on the crumbling marriage between two young lovers who were growing apart. But after the film, Gosling confided that the darkness of the narrative lingered for a while. Which persuaded him to do a more lighthearted movie soon afterward.
“I didn’t really know what to do next. It was so immersive that it kind of became my life and we had to acclimate, resurface, and [Crazy, Stupid, Love] came along And it was just what the doctor ordered,” he once said in an interview with slate.
Another reason why Gosling decided to switch up genres for a moment was because of the opinion of his doctor.
“I had to go get a physical after I did Blue Valentine. For no particular reason, just that I needed a checkup. My doctor wrote me a prescription, and on it, it said, ‘Do a comedy.’ So I took his advice from him and I feel better, ”he added.
Ryan Gosling originally based his ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ character off of a ‘Jersey Shore’ cast member
Because of the nature of his role, Gosling did a bit of research on masculinity to prepare. Since his character was a smooth-talking ladies’ man and alpha-male, he felt he needed to look the part as much as possible.
“I started reading all these men’s magazines, trying to follow all the tips: what you’re supposed to wear, what you’re supposed to have, things you’re supposed to say, and all the exercises you’re supposed to do . I thought this character is someone who follows all these tips to the letter of the law, and yet he wasn’t happy,” Gosling explained.
Originally, Gosling had a much different take on the character. But it was a take others in charge of the film didn’t enjoy too much.
“I wanted to play The Situation from Jersey Shore, and they said, ‘This isn’t that kind of movie.’ So they made me go back to the drawing table and figure out who this character was,’ he explained.
Ryan Gosling knew ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ would be good when Emma Stone signed on for the project.
Gosling believed that Emma Stone was a good indicator of the film’s potential quality. Crazy, Stupid, Love would bring the actors together for the first time. Gosling, in particular, was taken back by Stone and felt she was exactly what the movie needed for what she was trying to say.
“I knew the movie was going to be good when she signed on. The whole thing really hinges on her character from her; my character has to give it all up for her and that has to make sense. Show me a man who wouldn’t give it all up for Emma Stone and I’ll show you a liar,” he said in a 2011 interview with Collider.
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